The Gamey and Gamey ADR Institute has held its 20th graduation in Accra on Saturday, during which 28 students for its Professional Executive Master of Appropriate Dispute Resolution (PEM ADR) course were graduated.
PEM ADR is the longest running ADR masters training programme in Africa currently organized in collaboration with Pulse Institute and the University of Virgin Islands (UVI-PULSE), USA.
ADR has become a major tool for ensuring peaceful resolution of disputes without the adversarial court litigation.
With the graduation, the 2018 course participants are now certified to practice as professional ADR practitioners, and mainly as Arbitrators and Mediators.
The graduands are made up of lawyers, human resource managers, bankers, media practitioners, traditional leaders, religious leaders, union leaders, business executives, court registrars and governance experts.
The ceremony was also used to induct the new students for the 21st Cohort of the PEM ADR 2019 programme.
In his welcome address, Austin Akufo Gamey, Chief Executive Officer of Gamey and Gamey Group, noted that the programme has expanded since 2017, following the inclusion of courses including land, banking and finance, contracts design, procurement and corporate governance dispute resolution.
According to him, in order to ensure that the ADR programme kept up with the advancement in the field, the Institute had entered into professional relationship with PULSE Institute of Calgary, Canada and more recently with the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) of the United States of America.
“Gamey and Gamey Group and the University of Virgin Islands have signed a Memorandum of Understanding which has established the UVI – PULSE AFRICA. UVI – PULSE AFRICA will be guided to strengthen the practice of ADR globally and assist regional organizations and ADR practitioners of Gamey and Gamey Group in strengthening their capacity by developing practical tools, training and other materials,” he said.
Since its inception 16 years ago, Mr. Gamey noted that the Institute has trained about 400 persons with varied professional backgrounds in engineering, health, law, banking and finance, education, agriculture, journalism, security, religion, tradition, accounting, unionism and human resource management, among others.
He urged the new practitioners to uphold the ethics and protect the integrity of the ADR profession by living above reproach.
Mr Patrice Fidelis Seddoh, a Member of the National Labour Commission, who chaired the event, in his remarks, employed the graduands to add value to their skills and put into good use the practical knowledge they acquired during their one year course in their professional endeavors.
He urged them to continue acquiring more knowledge and practical skills in the field of ADR through learning so as to be able to provide quality services.
“Never stop learning, and as you go out there, every event that comes to you every day is a learning curve,” he advised.
Mr. Prosper Danneson Dadugah, President of cohort, recounted some of the experiences they had as a group during their learning process and expressed the group’s appreciation to all the facilitators.
“We learnt about the globally acclaimed PULSE Discovery Frame which provides the foundation for a successful mediation. Others were the GHOST principles of Appreciative Enquiry which we will not forget. Our learning was climaxed with a role play exercise that provides a major platform for us to demonstrate our mediation and arbitration skills developed over the period.
“It has been a successful journey but not without the support and commitment of our facilitators led by Mr. Austin Gamey,” he emphasized
By Benjamin Nana Appiah/adrdaily.com
